An introductory view of Mecca and its holy mosque

Peace be upon you all. After a lapse of almost 3 weeks its time to continue the stories on my trip to the Muslim holy lands 1-12 April.

Saturday night 6th April 2013. After 5 hours on the bus from Medina our entourage arrived at the city of Mecca around 10 pm.

After checking in our hotel and having a short rest we started walking towards the holy mosque known as the Masjidil Haram. Prominent along the way is the giant skyscraper famously known as the clock tower of Mecca.

If I'm not mistaken it was built and completed just about 2 years ago. The tower is around 650 metres tall making it the second tallest building in the world, after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai which stands nearly 200 metres taller.

Soon we could see the minarets of the Masjidil Haram. For the record our hotel is about a kilometre away..

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Ah. What a magnificent sight...

Still, nothing can beat the sight of the Kaabah inside the mosque middle compound. For this is the beacon, the building where all Muslims worldwide face in direction for the prayers.

Though the clock tower looms awesomely large nearby, the Masjidil Haram and Kaabah remains the focal point for all true-at-heart visitors...